Washing machines for clothes and other articles

ABSTRACT

A washing machine comprises a drum rotatable about a horizontal axis and divided axially into a plurality of washing compartments and rinsing compartments. Hot water or other washing medium is fed into a final wash compartment from a housing surrounding the final wash compartment, the adjacent surface portion of the drum being perforated. The washing medium flows from the final wash compartment successively through the other washing compartments to be discharged from the drum at the charging end thereof.

United States Patent [191 Giilzow et ai.

Jan. 2, 1973 [54] WASHING MACHINES FOR CLOTHES I AND OTHER ARTICLES Inventors: Fritz Giilzow; Egon Hartmann, both of l-lildesheim, Germany gesellsc'hatt, Hildesheim, Germany Filed: Dec. 3, 1970 Appl. No.: 94,724

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 3, i969 Gennany "P 19 60 677.2

US. Cl. ..68/143, 68/145 Int. Cl. ...D06f 37/08, D06f 39/08 Field of Search; ..68/58, 139, 143, 145,210

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,336,768 8/1967 Kleefisch ..68/58 Assignee: Senkingwerk Gmbi-I Komrnandit- 2,312,657 3/1 91? maze; "68/5'8 X Primary Examiner--William I. Price Attorney-Mason, Mason & Albright [5 7] ABSTRACT 3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PATENTED M QH 8.707.858

IN VE NTORS Fan GUI-2m EGON ART MANN ATTO NEYS WASHING MACHINES FOR CLOTHES AND OTHER ARTICLES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a washing machine for clothes and other articles having a drum rotatable about a horizontal axis and divided axially into a plurality of compartments for washing and rinsing articles.

2. Description of the Prior Art In one form of washing machine proposed hitherto washing medium in the form of suds is fed into the washing compartments through a pipe fitted with spray nozzles. However, expansion of the hot suds sprayed into the washing compartments gives rise to temperature losses, which have an adverse effect on the cleaning action, especially when certain types of articles being washed are subjected both to washing and bleaching.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the aforesaid disadvantage. 1

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there is provided in a washing machine including a drum rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis, means dividing said drum axially into a plurality of washing compartments including a final-wash compartment and "into a plurality of rinsing compartments, means defining an aperture in one end of the drumthrough which articles to be washed are charged into the drum, and means defining an aperture in the other end of the drum through which washed articles are discharged from the drum,the improvement comprising housing means surrounding the surface portion of said drum which defines said finalwash compartment and defining with said surface portion a chamber containing washing medium, said surface portion including apertures whereby washing medium passes from said chamber into said final washing compartment, said washing medium passing from said final washing compartment through other washing compartments in a direction opposite to that in which articles are fed through said drum.

Further according to the present invention, there is provided a washing machine including a drum rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis, means defining an aperture at one end of the drum through which articles to be washed are charged into said drum, means defining an aperture at the other end of the drum through which washed articles are discharged from the drum, first ring means dividing said drum axially into a washing section adjacent the said one end of the drum and a rinsing section adjacent the said other end of the drum, second ring means dividing'said washing section axially into a plurality of washing compartments, the washing compartment lying adjacent to said first ring means being a final-wash compartment, and means for feeding washing medium into said final-wash compartment and comprising a stationary housing surrounding the surface portion of said drum which defines said final wash compartment, and sealing means sealing said housing wash compartment, and said second ring means serving to permit passage of said washing medium from said final-wash compartment in a direction towards the said one end of said drum to be discharged from said drum at said one end.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodimentv of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section through a washing machine in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a section taken on line II-II in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT There is shown in the drawings, a washing machine comprising a washing drum 1 rotatable about a horizontal axis and having an opening 8 at its front end, through which the articles to be washed are charged from a hopper 3. The articles move through the drum 1 in the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 1, and are discharged from the drum through an opening 14 at the rear end of the drum 1. The drum 1 is divided axially by a solid ring 4' into a washing section adjacent the front end of the drum 1 and into a rinsing section adjacent the rear end of the drum. The washing section is divided axially by a plurality of perforated rings 4' into a-plurality of washing compartments, 5, 5a, 5b, the compartment 5b adjacent the ring 4 being a final-wash compartment. Similarly the rinsing section is divided to said drum and allowing rotation of said drum relative axially by a plurality of perforated rings 4 into a plurality of rinsing compartments.

Washing medium in the form of hot water or hot suds is fed into the final-wash compartment 5b successively through the washing compartments 5a and 5 in the opposite direction to the arrow A to be discharged from the front end of the drum 1 through the opening 8 or through perforations 9 formed in the front wall of the drum 1.

To enable the water or suds to be fed into the compartment Sb, the cylindrical surface portion of the drum 1 which acts to define the compartment 5b is provided with apertures la in the form of perforations. This surface portion of the drum is surrounded by a stationary housing 10 which is sealed in relation to the drum 1 to define therewith a sealed chamber. In the embodiment illustrated, the housing 10 is sealed to the drum I by a sliding-ring seal, in which two rings 1b are attached to the drum 1 and, as the drum 1 rotates, slide in contact with a ring seal 11 mounted on the housing 10. Other forms of seal can be used to seal the housing 10 to the drum 1.

The water or suds is fed into the housing 10 and passes through the apertures 1a into the final-wash compartment 5b. The hot water or suds then passes through the rings 4 in a direction opposite to that in which the articlesto be washed are being fed to be discharged through the aperture 8 or the perforations 9.

The heat required to heat the water or suds can be produced in a variety of ways. In the embodiment shown, the housing 10 is fed with cold suds or cold water which is heated therein by steam supplied through a pipe 13. Alternatively, the water or suds can be heated indirectly by means of a heat exchanger.

means defining an aperture in one end of the drumthrough which articles can be washed are charged into the drum,

means defining an aperture in the other end of the drum through which washed articles are discharged from the drum housing means surrounding the surface portion of said drum which defines said final-washing compartment and defining with said surface portion a chamber enclosing only the final-washing compartment and containing washing medium, said surface portion including apertures whereby washing medium passes from said chamber into said final washing compartment, said washing medium passing through said drum from said final-washing compartment successively into said first-washing compartment in a direction opposite to that in which articles are fed through said drum.

2. In a washing machine including a drum rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis means dividing said drum axially into a plurality of washing compartments including a final-washing compartment and into a plurality of rinsing compartments,

means defining an aperture in one end of the drum through which articles to be washed are charged into the drum means defining an aperture in the other end of the drum through which washed articles are discharged from the drum,

housing means surrounding the surface portion of said drum which defines said final-washing compartment and defining with said surface portion a chamber containing washing medium, said surface portion including apertures whereby washing medium passes from said chamber into said finalwashing compartment, said washing medium passing from said final-washing compartment through other washing compartments in a direction opposite to that in which articles are fed through said drum,and

means sealing said housing to said drum to define therewith a sealed chamber,said means sealing said housing to said drum including a sliding-ring seal.

3. A washing machine including a drum rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis,

means defining an aperture at one end of the drum through which articles to be washed are charged into said drum,

means defining an aperture at the other end of the drum through which washed articles are disc ar ed from he rum, first riiig means dividi ng said drum axially into a washing section adjacent the said one end of the drum and a rinsing section adjacent the said other end of the drum,

second ring means dividing said washing section axially into a plurality of washing compartments, the washing compartment lying adjacent to said first ring means being a final-wash compartment, and

means for feeding washing medium into said finalwash compartment and comprising a stationary housing surrounding the surface portion of said drum which defines said final-wash compartment, and

sealing means sealing said housing to said drum and allowing rotation of said drum relative to said housing, said housing defining with said surface portion a chamber containing washing medium, said surface portion being perforated to permit passage of said washing medium from said chamber into said final-wash compartment, and said second ring means serving to permit passage of said washing medium from said final-wash compartment in a direction towards the said one end of said drum to be discharged from said drum at said one end. 

1. In a washing machine including a drum rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis means dividing said drum axially into a plurality of washing compartments including a first-washing compartment and a finalwashing compartment and into a plurality of rinsing compartments, means defining an aperture in one end Of the drum through which articles can be washed are charged into the drum, means defining an aperture in the other end of the drum through which washed articles are discharged from the drum housing means surrounding the surface portion of said drum which defines said final-washing compartment and defining with said surface portion a chamber enclosing only the final-washing compartment and containing washing medium, said surface portion including apertures whereby washing medium passes from said chamber into said final washing compartment, said washing medium passing through said drum from said final-washing compartment successively into said first-washing compartment in a direction opposite to that in which articles are fed through said drum.
 2. In a washing machine including a drum rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis means dividing said drum axially into a plurality of washing compartments including a final-washing compartment and into a plurality of rinsing compartments, means defining an aperture in one end of the drum through which articles to be washed are charged into the drum means defining an aperture in the other end of the drum through which washed articles are discharged from the drum, housing means surrounding the surface portion of said drum which defines said final-washing compartment and defining with said surface portion a chamber containing washing medium, said surface portion including apertures whereby washing medium passes from said chamber into said final-washing compartment, said washing medium passing from said final-washing compartment through other washing compartments in a direction opposite to that in which articles are fed through said drum,and means sealing said housing to said drum to define therewith a sealed chamber,said means sealing said housing to said drum including a sliding-ring seal.
 3. A washing machine including a drum rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis, means defining an aperture at one end of the drum through which articles to be washed are charged into said drum, means defining an aperture at the other end of the drum through which washed articles are discharged from the drum, first ring means dividing said drum axially into a washing section adjacent the said one end of the drum and a rinsing section adjacent the said other end of the drum, second ring means dividing said washing section axially into a plurality of washing compartments, the washing compartment lying adjacent to said first ring means being a final-wash compartment, and means for feeding washing medium into said final-wash compartment and comprising a stationary housing surrounding the surface portion of said drum which defines said final-wash compartment, and sealing means sealing said housing to said drum and allowing rotation of said drum relative to said housing, said housing defining with said surface portion a chamber containing washing medium, said surface portion being perforated to permit passage of said washing medium from said chamber into said final-wash compartment, and said second ring means serving to permit passage of said washing medium from said final-wash compartment in a direction towards the said one end of said drum to be discharged from said drum at said one end. 